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Tasting Notes: d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen from Garage Brewing Co.

Tasting Notes starts the week off in a bit of a nutty direction as we take a look at d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen from Garage Brewing Co. (Temecula, California).

Released as a part of the brewery’s line of Specialty Beers, d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen is Garage Brewing Co.’s riff on the traditional German Dunkelweizen. “Dedicated to your favorite Uncle that might just be a bit nutty”, d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen combines the style’s trademark dark malt and wheat characteristics with the flavor of roasted peanuts. Full-flavored but still easy drinking, this brew clocks in at just 4.8% ABV and 14 IBUs. d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen is nearing the end of its limited run, but it can still be found in 22 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer establishments located within Garage Brewing’s distribution area.

Alright, you wanna get nuts? C’mon, let’s get nuts and get into some Tasting Notes!

Appearance:d-Unkle Peanut fills the glass as a chestnut brown-colored brew that is capped with a creamy finger of light tan foam. Held to the light, red and amber hues appear to give the brown an added pop of vibrancy. Although the beer is a bit hazy, a healthy carbonation level can be seen coursing within. The head shows good retention, eventually falling to a silken, half finger that lasts throughout. Lines of lace draw across the glass after each sip, but most eventually slip slowly back down into the top cap.

Aroma: The first thing to hit the nose is straight up peanut butter. This is definitely a surprise as I was expecting more of a roasted nut note, but this will do just fine. That peanut buttery goodness is surrounded by the beer’s dark wheat malts to conjure up youthful memories of spreading unreasonably sized gobs of delicious peanut butter across really good wheat bread – no jelly necessary.

Taste: The flavor moves in more of a Dunkelweizen direction with dark, deep wheat tones leading the way. The hops surface with a touch of bitterness before being pulled back under by notes of cereal, fresh baked bread, and just a bit of banana and clove. Just as we near the finish, the peanuts show up to lock in with all other aspects of this beer. This thing has tons of flavor, but it is not muddled at all. Completely direct, clean and cohesive.

Mouthfeel: This Dunkel falls on the lighter side of medium in body with a medium carbonation level. It is lightly sweet on the palate, but that is easily countered by the beer’s roasty character and balancing bitterness. The fact that this beer is just 4.8% ABV is ridiculously awesome, and it keeps the experience delightfully easy-drinking. As it should be, the aftertaste is all roasted peanut.

Final Thoughts: To be completely honest, I was more than a little excited when I first laid eyes on d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen. This is for two reasons:

I am a devout lover of German styles and you really do not see many American breweries taking on the Dunkelweizen these days.

It is creative take on the Dunkelweizen, and for some reason that is an incredibly rare occurrence in craft beer.

With that now disclosed, this beer had a lot of high hopes to live up to . . . and it more than met those expectations. It all starts in the aroma as that peanut butter note is so spot on that it will easily stop anyone in their tracks to take notice. More surprises await as you move into the arena of flavor and discover how effortlessly the roasted peanuts merge with the style’s defining characteristics of wheat, banana and clove. Then you wrap all of that in a full-flavored package that is still somehow light and easy-drinking? I mean, it is absolutely dumbfounding how well this beer came together, and it left the entire Mashing In crew wondering why more breweries are not experimenting with peanuts in Dunkelweizens? It just works. Seriously, why isn’t this a thing? To the folks at Garage Brewing Co., good on you for making d-Unkle Peanut Dunkle Weizen a reality. You’ve got a winner here. Prost!